A Knees-Up!

I will try to keep this one short. We finally went to see the specialist last Saturday morning after I kept changing my mind about going to the hospital. You see, the said knee somewhat got better the night after I wrote about its poor condition.

It must have been the venting out that did the trick. Seriously enough, the young doctor prescribed me a stronger painkiller - with strong side effects like vomiting and fainting spells - that night I came asking for a reference letter. After that dosage, my knee didn't feel numb and weak like it was on the previous day.

But there is still residual pain and until today I still can't go back to praying the normal way as yet. I'm still assuming a sitting down solat position.

Where was I? Oh yes. The meeting with the specialist - consultant orthopaedic and sports injury surgeon - took place briefly before I was asked to go and get an x-ray of both knees for comparison. This was where I spent most of my mid-afternoon, much to my little family's chagrin.

After what felt like an eternity, my name was called to go into the imaging section. There I still had to wait since all the x-ray rooms were occupied. According to hubby, Sadia became worried in the waiting area when she saw people with slings, casts and bandages coming out from where I went.

X-rays were taken from three different positions. Standing up, lying down and sitting down.

With the consultancy clinics operating until lunch time on Saturdays, it was a quarter to 1 p.m. when we finally arrived back at the specialist's room. He promptly put the relevant x-rays on the illuminator while I waited for hubby to come back from the gents. He asked me to lie down while he examined both knees. I couldn't fold my right knee without some pain, nor could I straighten my right knee for a long period at a time.

The diagnosis? Both my kneecaps (patella) are displaced from what should be their normal position. He couldn't figure out exactly why the right knee was more susceptible to pain when both kneecaps were actually out of sync. The tissues on the outer side of the patella look like they were pulling my kneecaps from their correct place. He had however ruled out a ligament tear since I would have to be active in sports to sustain such an injury. I wouldn't know any wiser.

He did however say that excessive weight gain could exacerbate the pain. Basically, it looks degenerative - that's a fancy word for growing old, I'd think - and he prescribed me two different supplements along with a physiotherapy session once a week that I need to attend for a month.

So I'm on medication still - or it is more like I'm on supplements - and cannot bend my right knee or press it on any surface, no matter how hard or soft.

As for the physio, I plan to see how it goes first. In the meantime, on the urges (and lectures?) by well-meaning aunts I must cut down on my caffeine intake. They see the resemblance of my case to other hardcore coffee drinkers. One even had to put a metal brace down her back due to a brittle bone condition. And she's the type who must always have her coffee black!

Egad! It's down to one coffee a day for me....maybe I'll start next week. :P